Clamping devices of this type are used in order to affix other components such as handgrips, guides, or medical instruments onto a medical instrument. The configuration of the affixing device as a clamping device has become standard in the art because this configuration as a rule is easy to operate and can be used reversibly. The disadvantage in clamping devices known in the art is that, because of the configuration of the clamping mechanism, there is a risk that the cylindrical component to which the clamping device is to be attached will be damaged. This risk is especially present when the cylindrical component is an optic system or the shaft tube of the lens system.
A generic clamping device is known, for instance, from DE 199 16 088 A1. With this known clamping device, the instrument that is to be affixed is secured by two shell halves that surround the cylindrical shaft of the instrument and can be compressed together by means of an eccentric tappet in such a way that the shell halves clamp onto the instrument shaft. This clamping mechanism has proven itself in the art, but the actuation of the eccentric tappet lever can require considerable force, in particular with large shaft diameters.
It is consequently the object of the invention to produce a clamping device of the aforementioned type, which in addition to being simple to operate, both makes possible a securely stationary clamping and ensures protective clamping of the cylindrical component.